Tool set for opening and closing chain links



Dec. 4, 1956 E. R. WOODRING El'AL 2,772,587

TOOL SET FOR OPENING AND CLOSING CHAIN LINKS Filed May 6, 1955 INVENTOR. EMORY z. wooorzuqe ALBERT p. wooorznue ATTcBNEY United States Patent Emory R. Woodr'ing and Albert P. Woodring, Osceola Mills, Pa.

Application May 6, 1955, Serial No. 506,426

1 Claim. (Cl. 81-15) This invention relates to lever type wrenches, and more particularly has reference to a set of wrench-es. so .designed as to facilitate the attachment or detachment of an end link of a cross chain, in respect to an associated link of a side chain.

The connection or disconnection of an end link is a time-consuming, laborious matter in many instances, due to the inadequacy of the tools presently used for opening and closing said end link. Accordingly, the main object of the present invention is to provide a pair of wrenches usable in combination, in such a manner that one wrench is adapted to grip the end link to hold the same stationary, while the other Wrench is adapted to be engageable, in succession, with one and then the other eye portion of the link, to open or close said eye portions, by a lever action exerted counter to the leverage imposed upon the body of the link by the first wrench.

Another object of importance is to provide a wrench set as described which will be capable of manufacture at low cost, will be rugged, and will be particularly adapted for the eflicient discharge of its intended functions.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claim appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the wrench set in use on an end link of an associated side chain;

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the wrenches per se, a portion of the handle being broken away;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the other wrench of the set per se, a portion of the handle being broken away; and

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the wrench of Figure 2, showing the same in use during the opening of an end link, said end link being shown in longitudinal section.

The reference numerals 10, 12 generally designate a pair of wrenches, usable together, as a set, in the operation of connecting or disconnecting an end link from a side chain 14. Normally, the side chain 14 is connected to a cross chain, on the end of which the end link is provided with the end line being attached to a selected length of the side chain.

The wrench 1%) includes an elongated, straight handle 16 formed from a suitable length of solid bar stock, one end of said length of stock being flattened to provide a head 18. The head 18 is of rectangular outer configuration, and is symmetrically disposed in respect to the longitudinal center line of handle 16, that is, the longitudinal center line of the head 18 is an extension of the longitudinal center line of the handle 16. The head 13 is thus symmetrically disposed in respect to handle 16, and lies in a plane through which the center line of the handle passes. The head 18 being of greater width than the diameter of the handle 16, and being symmetrically disposed inrespect to the length of the handle, has its opposite side edges disposed laterally, outwardly of the adjacent sides of the handle 16.

Formed in one of the side edges of the head 18, medially between the opposite ends of the head, is a short slot 20. The slot 20 extends along a line normal to the length of the handle 16, and opens upon its associated side edge of the head 18, the open end of the slot thus necessarily 'being spaced laterally, outwardly from the adjacent side of the handle 16.

The wrench 12 includes an elongated handle 21, also formed from a straight length of cylindrical, solid bar material, and integrally formed upon one end of handle 21 is an elongated, fiat head 22. Head 22 projects laterally in one direction from the associated end of handle 21, and lies in a plane normal to the longitudinal center line of handle 21. An elongated slot 24 is formed in the head 22, medially between the top and bottom edges thereof, and thus extends normally to the length of handle 21, opening upon the end edge of the head 22 at a location spaced laterally outwardly from the adjacent side of handle 21. The side chain 14 is composed of a plurality of links 26, and connected to one of said links is an end line 28 of a cross chain, not shown. The end link 28 is of U-shaped formation, having straight legs extending substantially perpendicularly to the length of the side chain. Said legs, at the ends thereof remote from the bight of the end link, curve upwardly and then downwardly to form loops defining eyes 3%, receiving :one side of the associated link 26 of the side chain.

Opening the loops 30 to remove the end link from the side chain has heretofore presented considerable difficulties, and the same difiiculties are encountered when the loops 30 are to be closed about the associated link 26.

To obviate these diificulties, we provided the wrench set, the wrenches being paired and being usable together. The wrench 12 is disposed as shown in Figure 1 to de fine a link holder, with its slot receiving both legs of the end link 28 at a location spaced longitudinally of the end link from the loops to hold the link against rotation. Then, assuming that the end link is being disconnected from the side chain, the wrench 1t) defining a link loop bender is engaged with one of the loops St the free end of said loop being disposed in slot 2%. Then, with wrench 21 held in one hand, the handle 16 is shifted upwardly from the full to the dotted line positions of Figure 4. This causes pressure to be exerted by opposite walls of slot 20 at points A, B against the material of the loop 30, bending said material upwardly to the dotted line position of Figure 4 to open the eye.

The wrench 12 is now removed, and is disposed at the opposite side of the end link, again receiving the legs of the end link. Wrench 16 is now turned over, to face its slot 20 in the opposite direction, and is engaged with the other loop 30. The operation is now repeated to open said other loop, and this disconnects the end link from the side chain.

To close an end link about an associated link of a side chain, the operation is performed similarly to that previously described herein, except, of course, that the wrench on link loop bender 10 is now shifted from the dotted to the full line positions of Figure 4, to close the open loop portions 30 about the associated link 26.

It will be seen that by reason of the arrangement illustrated, the leverage exerted by wrench 10 upon the associated loop portion is exerted directly counter to the force exerted against the body portion of the associated end link held against rotation by the link holder 12, so that the counteracting levers apply strong pressures on the portions of the end link engaged thereby, to facilitate relative movement of said portions for opening and closing the end link loops, whichever is desired.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it maybe utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited; Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A tool set for connecting and disconnecting a cross chain end link having spaced legs and loops adjacent one end of the link to define eyes through which extends a link of a side chain, said set comprising a link holder including an elongated handle and a head projecting laterally from said handle adjacent one end thereof, said head having an elongated slot extending there through and opening through the end thereof remote from said handle, said slot being adapted to receive the legs of the cross chain end link to hold the link against rotation; and a link loop bender including an elongated handle, a fiat head carried by said handle and extending longitudinally outwardly therefrom adjacent one end thereof, said tool head having a loop receiving slot opening through one side thereof to define spaced loop engaging side walls to receive a loop therebetwcen and bend the loop to open or close the loop about a side chain link.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 161,711 Romak Jan. 23, 1951 1,286,488 Amberg Dec. 3, 1918 l.996,589 Prescott Apr. 2, 1935 2,492,380 Duma Dec. 27, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 498,408 Germany Jan. 3, 1929 625,981 Great Britain July 7, 19 

